Easy Wellies

These Easy Wellies from Sonja Vrbovszky are currently being shown at the Tokyo Design Festival 2008. They're a vast improvement over traditional rain boots in that they feature integrated handles.

The handles of the Easy Wellies can be used to carry the boots around or as leverage while putting the boots on in inclement weather. A simple, yet immensely useful improvement for a springtime fashion staple.

Implications - One of the best ways a company or brand can distinguish itself in a crowded marketplace is by creating a product that features a practical and stylistic alteration to an age-old product. By amending a traditional product to add a pragmatic element, the brand establishes itself as an innovator.